Council call for cancer switch inquiry
CORNWALL councillors have urged Health Secretary Andy Burnham to investigate the transfer of specialist cancer services out of the county – a decision made as Devon's MPs slated similar proposals in their county as "sinister" in Parliament.
At an emergency meeting yesterday, members of Cornwall Council's Health and Adult Services Overview Scrutiny Committee followed colleagues in Exeter by asking for top-level intervention.
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But even as heated discussions about the move of complex Upper Gastro-Intestinal (GI) cancer services were taking place at County Hall in Truro, South West MPs were raising the issue of transferring Westcountry cancer services at a special debate in the House of Commons.
In a debate about the transfer of services from Exeter to Plymouth, during which concerns over the move in Cornwall were also raised, East Devon Conservative MP Hugo Swire said a constituent who is currently undergoing treatment had been told not to talk to politicians about the matter.
"A culture of secrecy seems to have been created, with a rather sinister air of intimidation surrounding the entire proposal to relocate – a proposal that I do not believe adds anything to the argument, but which makes us in this place rather suspicious about the motives behind it all," he said.
Angela Browning, Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, who secured the debate, supported the move to a centre of excellence. But she said she had real fears about the future of the Royal Devon and Exeter's "groundbreaking" specialist keyhole surgery unit.
"Patients are worried, doctors do not know where they stand, and we face the potential loss of a groundbreaking unit, not only in the Westcountry but in the rest of the country," she said.
St Ives MP Andrew George also spoke in the debate to say Mrs Browning had "raised an important issue that also affects Cornwall".
Mrs Browning backed her colleague Mr Swire, saying: "The way in which the primary care trust has gone about all this looks extremely sinister."
However in Cornwall, the decision by the OSC to refer the matter to Health Secretary Andy Burnham came at the end of a long campaign by campaigners. In July, health chiefs decided to move upper GI cancer operations from the Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske (RCHT) and from Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital (RD&E) to Derriford.
Bosses at both primary care trusts argue that a centre of excellence is needed in order to improve survival rates of this rare form of cancer.
However, protesters say it is unreasonable for the patients to have to travel long distances for treatment and that the public consultation process has not been followed properly.
Around 25 patients a year would be affected in Cornwall.
In October, the WMN exclusively revealed that the decision to shift Upper GI services from Truro to Plymouth was taken despite legal advice obtained by the RCHT last July that the move could be unlawful. Last year, RCHT was warned that proposed changes to services were so substantial they warranted full public consultation with the people of Cornwall. But the advice was not published and the go-ahead was given to transfer services for Upper GI cancers, with councillors on the former Cornwall County Council backing the move.
Cornwall PCT said it was not a "substantial" variation in services and a full public consultation was not necessary. Instead, it undertook a "public engagement" process to explain the plans and allay fears.
Yesterday, Cornwall Council's Health and Adults Overview and Scrutiny Committee voted in favour of referring the decision to Mr Burnham.
Speaking after the meeting, Coun Mario Fonk, who had specially requested the meeting due to recent developments, including the WMN revelations, said: "I am very pleased that the committee voted in this way. The PCT has tried to push this move through without a proper public consultation and we are very concerned over the legal advice RCHT received but chose not to share.
"How can the council make the right decision if it does not have all the information?"
Coun Fonk said it was unfair for Cornwall cancer patients to have to travel to Plymouth and that the county should have its own centre of excellence.
Rose Woodward from the Isles of Scilly Cancer Patient and Carer Group, said: "I'm delighted. This is a good day for the cancer patients of Cornwall."
However, doctors who spoke on behalf of the PCT at yesterday's meeting said they were "disappointed" by the decision. Dr Alex Mayor, medical director at Plymouth Hospitals Trust, said: "This is a terrible day for cancer patients in Cornwall. All the clinical evidence supports the case for a centre of excellence because they improve survival rates."
9 Comments
by John Fletcher, Penzance
Sunday, December 13 2009, 11:44PM
“I would like to thank councillor Mario Fonk and his colleagues for overturning the previous decision to transfer the Upper GI cancer services to Plymouth at last weeks Health & Adults Scrutiny Committee. The matter has now been referred to the Secretary of Health. This was done despite the tremendous pressure applied by the Primary Care Trust who fielded a strong team of 10 to oppose him. He was not allowed to call a single witness. Call that democracy!”
by John Fletcher, Penzance
Sunday, December 13 2009, 11:40PM
“I would like to thank councillor Mario Fonk and his colleagues for overturning the previous decision to transfer the Upper GI cancer services to Plymouth at last weeks Health & Adults Scrutiny Committee. The matter has now been referred to the Secretary of Health. This was done despite all the pressure applied by the Primary Care Trust who fielded a strong team of 10 to oppose him. He was not allowed to call a single witness. Call that democracy!”
by Fed up, Cornwall
Sunday, December 13 2009, 10:25PM
“Keep Cornish services in Cornwall, for the benefit of the people of Cornwall. PERIOD.”
by Rose Woodward, Porthtowan
Sunday, December 13 2009, 11:00AM
“Dr Mayor and other people reading this article, may not realize cancer patients from Cornwall can still choose to have their surgery at Derriford if THEY feel it offers them the best chance of survival - however they can also choose to have their treatment in Truro if they want to. The same Treliske Surgeon will operate on them in Derriford or in Truro.
Patients have a right to be involved in the decision affecting how and where they get their treatment, the days are long gone ( or should be) when someone just told patients what would happen, without involving them in the decision. Where is the evidence that patients in rural areas have a better experience and better outcomes by forcing them upto 100 miles away from home at the very time when they need the support and comfort from their loved ones. I expect many centralisations have occurred in Manchester , London or other urban areas where patients and families may have to travel a few extra miles down the road but for an isolated geographically remote and rural County like Cornwall, we still wait to see evidence. What ever happened to the Policy of Rural Proofing ¿ Turned out to be too good an idea perhaps. ?
Just because we won¿t nod through plans hatched in London and Taunton without evidence changes will actually achieve measurable benefits for patients and before alternatives are explored doesn¿t make us Luddites.
If the NHS wants to make changes to our cancer services please have the courtesy to talk to patients and the people in Cornwall BEFORE you make the decisions. Anything else smacks of arrogance.”
by Martin Fletcher, Penzance
Saturday, December 12 2009, 9:49PM
“Congratulations to the new council¿s Overview and Scrutiny committee especially to councillor Mario Fonk who asked for the emergency meeting and stood his ground despite of the bullying tactics of the 10 strong PCT team lined up against him. As he quite rightly said why can¿t Cornwall have its own centre of excellence?”
by Robert Penghelly, Truro
Friday, December 11 2009, 11:05PM
“What a farce of a meeting - no wonder you can't find webcasts of it on the Council website - it would posted to U Tube as the laugh of the year.
Who was the woffling woman up on the "top" table next to £220k pa Chief Executive? why would they let someone like that talk at a public meeting - makes the Council a laughing stock - no wonder they are the worst 10 in the Country if thats the calibre of the staff they employ. Did the wonderful Chief Executive try to make sure Cornwall patients were treated in their own County - did he hell.
Thanks God for real life Councillors like Cllr Mario who despite the bullying and the array of jobsworths lined up shout him down, stood his ground and with quiet dignity taught them all a lesson. Well done, a voice standing up for Cornwall at last.”
by TimV, Pz
Friday, December 11 2009, 2:27PM
“What the public want and what the professionals in the NHS want, seems irreconcilable. It is an issue of specialism v. localism. What patients want is quality treatment locally. The NHS bosses seem transfixed by the notion that services should be ever more remote. Perhaps they would like to present us with the statistics relating to post operative survival rates for different forms of cancer at Treliske and Derriford, so that we the patients, can make some informed decisions whether the extra travel, inconvenience and discomfort is worth it. A round trip of 240 miles when ill is not insignificant, particularly if this has to be carried out on a regular basis as many treatments require. Historically here in Penzance, complicated surgery was carried locally, with as far as I know little complaint, because of the skill of the surgeon then employed. Not only is this no longer possible in Penzance, neither it seems is Treliske considered adequate, despite huge resources poured into the facility. Maybe a few months less life, would be a price worth paying for a local, quality, caring service, responsive first and foremost to the patient, rather than the highly paid administrators?”
by Ewan, Newquay
Friday, December 11 2009, 9:57AM
“I'm delighted that counsellors in Cornwall have at last seen through the attempts by the PCT and the Strategic Health Authority to downgrade the excellent services provided by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Teaching Trust. Perhaps now is also the the time to expose the shenanigans behind the removal of John Watkinson and his team, ostensibly on the back of a deeply flawed report produced in Bromley and a local review that described a hospital that had "improved beyond recognition" (Department of Health) as 'heading for corporate failure'.”
by M P Moseley, The Lizard
Friday, December 11 2009, 9:11AM
“Congratulations to Cllr. Mario Fonk and his 10 colleagues who had the courage to ignore clear intimidation from the PCT, from the Council's own Legal Officer and the Leader of Cornwall Council who took it upon himself to intervene in the debate and try to 'lean on' his colleagues.
Congratulations also to Mrs Woodward for her eloquent presentation on behalf of the Patients' Groups.
Shame on the 4 Councillors who declared themselves willing to sit back and watch our Cornish NHS Cancer Services haemorrhage away to Devon.
Whatever posessed the Councillor for St Just in Penwith, whose constituents would be most adversely affected by this proposed move, to vote against the proposal to refer the issue?
Thank you, thank you, to the brave 11 for fighting to retain NHS Services for Cornish residents in Cornwall.
The OSC is the ONLY means open to the people of Cornwall to have any meaningful say about what the unelected, despots in the undemocratic NHS quangos decide is best for us.
Yesterday was my first experience of a Council Committee meeting. I was appalled at the imbalance of the event. The PCT fielded almost a complete football team and we were subjected to an extremely long-winded presentation by Tracey Sweet.
Cornwall Council fielded an army of people including a clearly biased Legal Officer and equally biased Leader of Cornwall Council.
I felt sorry for Mario Fonk who was not allowed to bring along any supporting witnesses and for those of us in the public gallery who were not allowed to speak at all (some rubbish about the meeting being 'extraordinary') - it certainly was!”